This invention is directed to bedding, and more particularly, to a partial bedsheet that fittingly engages a mattress and safely maintains a pillow in a concealed location.
Conventional bed linens typically include a set of mattress-covering sheets and at least one pillowcase. The sheet set may include a fitted sheet and a flat sheet; the pillowcase is usually a separate pouch having an open end through which a pillow is inserted. With this arrangement, the mattress and associated pillows are protected by coverings that may be removed for laundering and replaced as needed. As a result, the common sheet-and-pillowcase system promotes cleanliness within the sleeping environment, without the need for mattress and pillow replacement. However, while this approach leads to improved hygiene, it is not suitable for all situations. Cribs and beds used by young sleepers, as well as beds used by the sick, old and infirm, are an area of particular concern. Hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions also present unique requirements.
Many institutions provide sleeping quarters for large numbers of inhabitants. On a daily basis, stripping down and replacing the associated bed linen can require large amounts of time. This activity often occupies staff members that might otherwise be interacting directly with guests. To reduce the time needed for bed linen swapping, some bed sheets simplify the linen changing process by providing integrated pillowcase-and-sheet combinations.
In long term care situations that do not require daily bed linen changing, removal of a soiled partial sheet also reduces and simplifies the bed changing process, as well as reducing the laundry costs.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,586,031, for example, teaches a bed sheet having an attached pillow-receiving sleeve. Although this bedsheet simplifies the bed making process, it is not suitable for environments where pillow theft is common, such as hospitals and hotels. The pillow sleeve has open ends, and an inserted pillow may be removed or dislodged easily. This design is also dangerous for use with small children: an infant""s limbs may become tangled within the sleeve and painfully twisted if the child rolls about.
To eliminate limb injuries and to curb pillow removal temptations, some sheets include sleeves that completely enclose a pillow. U.S. Pat. No. 3,148,388, for example, teaches a sheet having an attached pillowcase that includes flaps to selectively conceal an associated pillow. Although this arrangement encloses a pillow, the pillowcase is still exposed to the sleeper, and pillow removal is a matter of merely untying a few securing straps. These straps may also present choking hazards to young children.
Other sheet sets dispense with discrete pillowcases entirely. U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,251, for example, teaches a sheet that lies flat against a mattress, but includes a tapered section under which a pillow may be placed. While this design eliminates the need for a distinct pillow case, it is not suitable for all sleepers. With this design, a sleeper""s motion may cause a pillow to shift position during use. Because the pillow is remote from the sleeper, repositioning the resultant xe2x80x9cwanderingxe2x80x9d pillow is difficult. An incorrectly placed pillow is uncomfortable, at best, and can be dangerous, to certain individuals. Small children, for example, may become wedged by the pillow against crib wall bars.
Still other designs include pillowcases that are permanently attached to a sheet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,719 discloses a pillowcase attached to a sheet along a zippered seam. A pillow is inserted into the pillowcase through the seam, and the seam is zipped shut. Because the pillowcase is hingedly fastened to the sheet, this design is unsafe for very small children. An infant may wriggle under the pillowcase and have trouble breathing.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,147 to Trimble a full fitted bedsheet including a pillow pocket is disclosed. The pillow is secured in place out of the reach of the occupant of the bed.
In all these examples of prior art bedding, the sheet is made with one major panel approximating the size of the mattress. If the head end or pillow portion of the sheet is soiled, the entire sheet must be removed and cleaned.
What is needed is a bedding sheet construction that incorporates the benefits of prior art and eliminates shortcomings thereof. The device should be useful for all types of beds for infants and adults, including special-use beds used for surgical procedures, but should maintain a pillow at a preselected location in a safe manner. The sheet construction should keep the pillow and compartment away from the occupant if desired. Additionally, the sheet construction should be hard to remove when the bed is occupied, but easy to install and remove when the bed is unoccupied. Further, the sheet construction should not include extraneous material which adds time and expense to maintaining a sanitary and safe bed.
The present invention is a partial sheet construction that engages a mattress securely and provides a concealed compartment for a pillow. It may be used with a conventional sheet which covers the entire mattress or combined with another partial sheet covering the remainder of the mattress. This sheet construction includes a main panel extending over a substantial portion of a mattress with a mattress-encompassing pouch at the head end. The pouch is formed by two cooperating flaps that overlap and are detachably secured together. An auxiliary panel attached to the main panel creates a pillow-receiving concealment pocket. With this arrangement, the pouches cooperatively secure the sheet construction to the mattress, and the concealment pocket will maintain a pillow in a preset location. The auxiliary panel may be located on top of the main panel, or may face towards a mattress. Orienting the auxiliary panel towards the mattress creates a safe concealment pocket that is not accessible when the mattress is occupied.
The flapped pouch aspect of the present invention makes the partial sheet easy to install. This feature also makes the sheet construction advantageously difficult to remove when the bed is occupied, yet promotes easy removal when the bed is empty. This prevents unwanted sheet and pillow removal and keeps bed occupants from becoming tangled in the sheet, while reducing suffocation dangers inherent with a loose pillow. The present invention is useful on both large and small beds.
Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet construction that maintains a pillow at a preselected location in a manner safe for the weak, sick and infirm occupants.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a sheet construction that is difficult to remove while a bed is occupied, but easy to install and remove when the bed is empty.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a sheet construction that essentially locks a pillow in a preselected position.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a partial sheet with a main panel covering only that portion of the mattress necessary to secure the pillow in place while providing a smaller construction to change, and wash when soiled.